


They Could Never Be His/ And He Is Theirs

by RelicIron



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Arcann POV, Double Drabble, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Gender and Race Neutral Terms for the Outlander, Getting Together, Light Side Outlander, M/M, Non Force-sensitive Outlander, Soulmate AU, That's Not How The Force Works, soulbonds via the Force
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-23 12:49:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20008573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RelicIron/pseuds/RelicIron
Summary: Two drabbles from my Tumblr, inspired and encouraged by @wilvarin-chan.





	1. They Could Never Be His

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written anything in over 5 years, but I read a ton, so hopefully you all like it.  
> I know Arcann isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I'm a sucker for redeemed villians, so here we are.  
> Also, I essentially overwrote the actual first kiss scene from the game.
> 
> (The Outlander's gender and species is left very ambiguous so readers can insert their own.)

He didn’t remember noticing at first, although whether he’d simply refused to believe it or he was simply too deep in his own hatred to feel it, he wasn’t sure.

The first time he’d been aware of this…pull, had been at the end of their battle on his flagship. When they’d stood, triumphant and uncowed by his rage. It had only been a faint flicker then, an itch behind his ribs that reached out to them.

At the time he’d assumed it was his father’s doing, some sort of trick to scatter his focus so the Outlander could strike. The assumption had persisted until he met them again, in the Temple of Healing. There, with his mind whirling with confusion and the dawning horror of his mother’s death, he’d looked back from the transport and the _pull_ nearly knocked the breath from his lungs.

He ran. Barked a command to the pilot, and flew away.

The ritual had left him feeling raw, like a deep, infected wound that had been opened up and scrubbed clean. Everything felt so bright and overwhelming to a mind that had been mired in darkness for so long. The wordless revelation of that connection to the Outlander had been too much to take on top of everything else.

They met again on Zakuul, both seeing an opportunity to take his sister down, and he was surprised to find that the connection felt just as intense as the last time, it was all he could do to keep his voice from pitching with the ache in his chest.

This was…. unfortunate.

Force-Bonds were common among the Force-sensitives of Zakuul, and various orders like the Knights looked favorably upon bonded pairs, but for the love of Scyva, why did his Bondmate have to be the Commander!?

It had to be some sort of cruel cosmic joke that he would be bonded to a non-Force user. A small punishment for the atrocities he’d committed. To have to live and work alongside his unknowing Bondmate was a unique form of torture.

And they would _stay_ unknowing, if he had anything to say about it.

He’d put them through so much; to know that they were tied to him on such an intimate level would only burden them further. They didn’t deserve to be dragged down by that knowledge, they didn’t owe him anything, and almost anyone would be more worthy of their love than him.

So Arcann put his head down, tried to drown that ache in work, and tried to ignore the looks of pity he could feel from his mother and the sith advisor.

That he was here was enough….. it had to be.

He was lucky to be able to work with them, and luckier still to be able to protect them in battle.

It didn’t matter that it felt hard to breathe around them, that his fingers itched to touch them, that the slightest smile or kind word from them sent his heart racing.

It was agony, but he would bear it. This was no more than he deserved.

_They could never be his._


	2. And He Is Theirs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The happy ending for the first chapter

He's an advisor now, at least that's his "official" position. Unofficially, he's become the Commander's minder.

Not that they need one, they are an adult after all, but their hands-on work ethic has them constantly on the move. Arcann, when not in the field bodily dragging their leader out of danger, is often found somewhere in the command center, reading reports and offering insight where he can. He honestly didn't know when or how it started, but after a while it became common knowledge that if you needed to find the Commander, ask Arcann. So long as they stayed on base, they were close enough that he could pin point their exact location through the bond.

To his distress, it was getting stronger every day.

Helped, in part, by the unknowing Commander.

They spent a lot of time with him, and lately they'd started ..... touching him.

A clap on the shoulder, a gentle hand at his waist moving him to the side, fingers brushing his arm to get his attention. It was all completely innocent......and it was driving him completely insane.

Each touch left his skin burning and his chest aching.

It was becoming too much to bear.

He started pulling away.

There wasn't much else he could do really, but the confusion and faint hurt in their eyes nearly broke him.

Something had to give, and it was a week or two later that the Commander asked for him to accompany them on a walk.

Even if he'd wanted to, he could never deny them anything, so of course he had agreed.

Now they were strolling through the forests of Odessen a short speeder ride away from the bustling base.

The Commander seemed have a destination in mind and conversation ebbed and flowed, sometimes discussing a recent op or simply enjoying the quiet sounds of the woods.

Eventually they wandered into a clearing.

The afternoon sun through the autumn leaves bathed the grassy floor in golden light, and there was a serenity here born of perfect balance. A rocky outcropping formed the north edge of the glade and even from where Arcann stood he could see the faint glimmer of kyber crystals.

He hadn't even noticed that he'd fallen silent, until the Commander appeared at his side.

"I came across this place a month or two back," they said, shifting restlessly at his side, "I like to come here when I need to clear my head."

Arcann turned to them.

They looked away, not meeting his gaze, "You've been acting kinda weird, distant, like you're upset or something. I asked Senya if she knew what was wrong, and she just told me that this had gone on far enough and that I should talk to you."

They wrung their hands, still refusing to look at him, "Did something happen? Did I do something wrong?"

"No! I ....it's nothing you did...it's..."

Arcann was going to _kill_ his mother.

He sighed.

He should have known he couldn't keep this quiet forever.

"Have you heard of your Jedi and Sith having...connections to certain people, through the Force?"

They frowned and shook their head. Arcann soldiered on.

"In Zakuul, sometimes Force-users have an in-born bond with someone else. It can come in several different forms: familial, platonic, romantic...no matter what form it takes, the bond almost always signifies a deep present or future relationship" Arcann swallowed the lump in his throat, "I had a fraternal Forcebond with my brother, Thexan...." he reached up and rubbed at his sternum, even years later the loss still hurt, and knowing that it was entirely his fault made it all the worse.

The Commander kindly gave him a moment to gather himself and waited patiently for him to continue.

This was it.

He braced himself.

"I don't know how I didn't notice it before, perhaps my hatred blinded me, but I know now."

A tremor started in his hands where they were clasped behind his back, but he forced himself to look them in the eyes. They deserved that much.

"I am...Forcebonded...to you."

He watched, heart in his throat, as their eyes went wide and their lips parted.

He quickly headed them off, he _needed_ them to understand, "This isn't something I can stop, the bond cannot be broken, and I cannot help how I feel. I know you can't sense it, but if you wish to send me away I underst-"

"You're wrong."

He froze.

"I can't use the Force, but I...when I'm around you I just...there's something _there_."

This wasn't happening.

"I _like_ being around you, it's... comfortable... somehow, and I feel unsettled when you're not there."

This was not possible.

"And I don't know if it's me or this bond you're talking about, but when I'm with you it just-"

_They could never be his._

"-it feels like home."

Arcann is moving before he even realizes it.

Arms reaching out.

Wrapping around their middle to pull them in.

Press them tightly into his chest, as one hand slides up to cradle their head against his shoulder.

His chest hurts.

"Bond or no Bond.... is this what you want?"

His voice is tight but hushed, as if afraid he'd wake from this dream.

They push gently against his chest, pulling back just enough to see his face.

They smile, but its softer, more intimate than their usual roguish smirk.

"Yeah, this is what I want, " their smile grows and turned playful, "And what about you?"

Arcann shivers.

"Perhaps this will answer you."

He bridges the gap, tilting his head to slot their lips together. His chest is so tight he can barely breathe, but it doesn't matter as their hands come up to cup his jaw, thumbs smoothing over his cheeks, both unmarked and scarred.

Impossibly, miraculously, they are his.

_And he is theirs._


End file.
